Praised as “highly lyrical and provocative of thought” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and “mesmerizing” (The New York Times), the music of composer Alexandra Gardner is thrilling audiences and performers with a “particular alchemy of craft, whimsy, and sensual appeal” (The New Yorker). She blends acoustic instruments with field recordings, electronic textures, and elements of improvisation, building vivid sonic worlds residing on the edge of structure and spontaneity. Influenced by ideas of myth and ritual, scientific discovery, and the healing properties of sound, her music is known for its brightness, rhythmic vitality, and conceptual depth.
Gardner’s portfolio includes a wide range of works for symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and electronic media. She has created large-scale orchestral works for major U.S. symphonies, as well as intimate, interdisciplinary collaborations with choreographers, animators, and poets. Her music has been commissioned and performed by leading organizations and ensembles such as the National Flute Association, the American Harp Society, Boulanger Initiative, Percussions de Barcelona, Seattle Symphony, SOLI Chamber Ensemble, Tesla Quartet, the United States Navy Band, among many others. Her works are showcased at festivals and venues worldwide, including the Aspen Music Festival, Beijing Modern Festival, Palau de la Música Catalana, Festival Cervantino, Grand Teton Music Festival, Issue Project Room, The Smithsonian Museum of Art, Roulette Intermedium, The Library of Congress, and the Warsaw Autumn Festival.
Among Gardner’s honors and awards are recognitions from ASCAP, DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, Maryland State Arts Council, Mid-America Arts Alliance, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Netherland-America Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. She is a recipient of the Vassar College W.K. Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts and a Rubys Artist Project Grant from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. She has conducted residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harvestworks, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, and MacDowell, among others. She spent two years as a visiting composer at the Institut Universitari de l’Audiovisual in Barcelona, Spain, and served as Composer-In-Residence for the Seattle Symphony. Currently, she is a Montalvo Arts Center Lucas Artist Residency Program Fellow. Her music is recorded on the Innova, Ars Harmonica, Naxos, and Neuma labels.
Gardner maintains a private teaching studio and coaching business, and mentors emerging artists in both academic and independent contexts. She is a frequent speaker with engagements at institutions such as the Peabody Conservatory, Cornish College of the Arts, and Boulanger Initiative. During her tenure at the Seattle Symphony, she directed the Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop and led a collaborative composition project with LGBTQ+ youth affected by homelessness.
As a digital media specialist and arts advocate, she has worked extensively at the intersection of music and public media, in audio production for organizations such as NPR and Soundprint, and as associate editor of NewMusicBox, a program of New Music USA.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Gardner holds degrees from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and Vassar College. Her creative life and practice are deeply influenced by her work with Annea Lockwood and Pauline Oliveros.
She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her wife, a conflict resolution specialist and woodworking artist. Gardner enjoys photography, kayaking, drinking coffee on her porch, and breakfast for dinner.